Obsidian
by Viva La Vostra Vita
Summary: There's a new girl in town, and she's dragging Artemis out of his comfort zone.


A/N: This was basically written as a one-shot. The idea was that Artemis met this girl on a trip to America, and decided that she would be useful in his latest plot. (To get rid of the new LEP commander, whatshisface). She's very smart, though not _as_ smart as Artemis (go figure). She makes up for that with her street smarts and wit/sarcasm/humor/whatever. Anyway, I've tried to keep her from being a Mary Sue. She has faults, even if they're not evident in this fic. (i.e. She can be vicious and cruel and she's not above using people. Basically, she's like Artemis was at the beginning of the series). I might add other chapters if enough people like this, but I doubt I will - I'm not good at writing series.

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own the Artemis Fowl series. If I did, Artemis would be...otherwise occupied.

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Obsidian

Consequences

Artemis blinked down at the petite girl in front of him. "You actually expect me to wear _this_?" He was wearing a black t-shirt that clung to the newly developed muscles in his arms and the dark wash jeans were baggy and ripped. '_Completely impractical' _he growled to himself. Of course he didn't say that to her. That would be stupid, and if there was one thing Artemis Fowl wasn't, it was stupid. Isis smiled up at him, feigning innocence.

"Of course. This is what teens normally wear. You don't wear a suit to an informal school dance," Artemis groaned. This was his own fault. Ever since the ball, she'd been determined to take him out to experience 'a night of teenage normalcy'. He was jerked out of his moment of self-pity by an insistent tugging on his hand. "You're not done yet?" He questioned. This time, there was nothing innocent about her smile. "No."

Twenty agonizing minutes later, Artemis was finally free and Isis had hurried off to get herself ready. He surveyed himself critically in the hall mirror. His hair, which was normally combed neatly back, was now straight and shaggy in his eyes. The second he was seated on the sink counter, she'd picked up a razor blade and started cutting his hair. _'Hacking, more like.'_ he thought to himself. He looked thoroughly ridiculous. At that moment, Juliet walked by, fresh laundry in her arms. Catching sight of the raven-haired Irish boy, she stopped dead and gapped at him.

"Artemis?" She said finally. He nodded in response and willed the back the spreading blush. "Artemis? Y-your _hair. _What happened to it?" Artemis sighed and fingered the ragged edges of his hair. "Ice got her hands on it. She's forcing me to go to a high-school _dance._" Juliet nodded approvingly.

"It's about time you had some fun with people your own age. Try to relax and enjoy yourself."  
"How am I supposed to have fun dressed like _this?_" He moaned, gesturing at his body in the mirror. Juliet smiled. "You look fine. I think those self-defense lessons with Butler are paying off," She added, surveying his arms. Artemis shifted uncomfortably. He was not used to this kind a scrutiny from a girl. Thankfully - or maybe not, depending on your point of view - Isis appeared in the doorway a moment later. He blinked at her.

She was wearing the same kinds of clothes she always did, but somehow she looked radically different. She was wearing a blood-red 'beater' - as she'd called them - and low slung jeans. Her earrings came almost to her shoulders and her necklace came to the hollow at the base of her throat, before turning into a long, thin, silver chain at the end of which a small, black stone glittered. _'Obsidian.' _He thought, vaguely, though his attention wasn't focused on her neck or even her cleavage, though he could see that as well. The hem of her shirt and the top of her jeans left several inches of flat, tanned stomach exposed, and Artemis was having trouble tearing his eyes away. Her emerald green eyes were laughing at him as he continued to stare at her. She had straightened her hair, so instead of its usual waves, it fell in a dark, glossy sheet to the middle of her back. He noticed that a new streak of color had been added to the lock of hair that framed her face. The blue was almost the same electric shade as his eyes. All in all, Artemis thought she might actually be more beautiful than when she'd been dressed up for the ball. Maybe it was the way she carried herself now - her head held high, radiating confidence.

At the ball, she'd been out of place. She might have seemed to be in complete control, but he had seen how tense she'd been. She had been out of her element there, and that wasn't something someone like her would ever be comfortable with.

"Artemis? Hello? Earth to Artemis . . ." Isis' voice drifted through the fog in his head and pulled him out of his reverie. He shook his head to clear it and immediately regretted doing so. The edges of his newly cut hair waved across his face, tickling his nose in a most annoying manner. He ran a hand through his hair in a useless attempt to get it away from his face. As he did that, Artemis could have sworn that her eyes glazed over, just for a moment. He heard distant laughter, and looked around. Juliet was gone, presumably to put away the laundry she'd been carrying. Isis blinked several times before finally speaking. "How do I look?" For an instant, she actually looked unsure of herself, as though she honestly cared that he approved of her. Well, he most certainly did.

"Ice, you look fine. Truly. But my hair is driving me crazy. I feel ridiculous." She smiled at him, an honest smile for once. "You won't feel ridiculous when you've got hot girls throwing themselves at you." Artemis might have been wrong, but for an instant, he thought he saw a flicker of jealousy in her eyes. He dismissed it immediately - he was simply seeing what he wished to see. He cleared his throat to break the silence that had followed her comment and regained his composure.  
"Butler has the Lear jet waiting for us. If we don't leave soon, we'll be late," She smiled again, but it didn't seem the same as before. "Artemis, that's the point. Ever heard of being fashionably late?" Without waiting for his response, she brushed past him to door. "Coming?" Artemis didn't respond, he simply turned and followed her out into the night.

Arrival

Artemis and Isis arrived at the dance twenty minutes after it started and it was already packed. Isis had called her friend on the plane and arranged a meeting point. Apparently, there would be no finding them any other way. Artemis simply took her word for it. This was an almost surreal experience for him. It had been a long time since he hadn't known what to expect from any given situation. The one thing he definitely hadn't been prepared for was the _noise._ It was mind-boggling, and Artemis had to force himself not to reach up and cover his ears. He looked around and couldn't pick out anyone who might be waiting for them.

"Where are your friends?" He asked her, but he couldn't even hear his voice. It's was lost in the deep bass thumping that reverberated in his chest. Isis was bent over her cell phone, presumably texting the friends they were waiting for. He bent down so his mouth was level with her ear and shouted, as loudly as he could. "Where - are - they?" This time, Isis turned to look at him and he found himself nose to nose with her. A combination of shock and the heart-stopping sweet smell of her hair rendered him immobile for several seconds. He was still standing, staring into her eyes, when she took a step back.

"They're on their way. It's murder getting through that crowd. We're meeting them half way. Stay close to me." Without saying anything further, she grabbed his hand and towed him into the massive, pulsating crowd.

In the gym, the music was louder than he could have ever believed. He had never heard anything like this. It was raw and loud and it flowed through his veins, almost making him move in time. Almost. Then they were in the crowd and there was no room in his head for analysis. It was nearly impossible to move without slamming into something, so he focused on the dim figure in front of him, and copied her movements. It seemed the only way to successfully navigate was to move with the crowd. Soon, he found himself dipping and writhing in time with the people around him. Then, as suddenly as he began, it was over. He was out of the writhing sea of people, and there was an open ring where a smaller group of people danced in a similar fashion to the rest of the crowd. When they caught sight of Isis, the girls began screaming, loud enough to be heard over the music. In seconds she was completely surrounded by screaming, laughing girls. Guys hovered around the edges of the throng, some with hands on random girls, in possessive gestures. She finally broke free of the crowd and grabbed Artemis' arm, tugging him to her side. She was speaking, screaming really, and he could still barely hear her.

"Guys, this is Artemis. The one I've been helping over in Europe," Her face was alive with happiness, and a smile was etched on her face. She was happier than he'd ever seen her. _'This must be what it's like to have friends. How did she ever leave them?'_ People were yelling at him, asking him questions about Ireland and what it was like to be a genius. Americans were different - blunter - in the way they treated someone new. He could make out some of the girls staring at him with a hungry look in their eyes. He moved closer to Isis. Finally, one boy shouted over the blaring music, and Artemis had no problem hearing him, even though he was at the opposite side of the group. Impressive.

"Enough with the questions, this is dance. Lets dance!"

The Calm

Immediately, many of the guys grabbed their dates and began swaying and moving together in a way that Artemis couldn't quite describe. The dateless girls formed smaller groups of their own and danced in a similar fashion, though not quite as closely as the couples. Artemis was so caught up in watching the people around him move, it took him a moment to notice that Ice was in front of him, moving her body to the rhythm of the music. Without consciously deciding to, Artemis moved closer to her and began dancing himself. She laughed happily as he struggled to find his rhythm for the next few songs. He eventually found it, with some very helpful - and hands on - pointers from Isis.

When it seemed that he was capable of dancing himself, she threw her arms up over her head and started writhing and wiggling in the same manner as the other girls. She was so close, swaying with the beat and singing every word. He closed his eyes to listen to the words of the song, and was soon caught up in the feeling of the music. He opened his eyes and looked down at Isis to find that she too had her eyes closed, her head thrown back, her hair rippling as she moved. She was so beautiful and free. Somehow, she had changed into a completely different person, and he thought he knew why. This was her world, and here, she fit in perfectly. Suddenly, Artemis wanted to belong here too, if only so he wouldn't have to lose this person in front of him.

The song ended and turned into an even louder one, with a deep, complex, pounding bass that grabbed Artemis. He reached out with one hand and grasped her hip, pulling her closer to him. When Isis opened her eyes, there was a strange emotion hidden deep in them. Her eyes, which had gone dusky at his touch, looked up to him now, and pulled him in. Soon he was lost in the swirling of the green and gray and he could feel himself drowning. Strangely, he didn't mind at all, he had no urge to fight this. Isis flipped around, so that her back was facing him and continued dancing. He couldn't keep his eyes from straying down toward her arse as she rolled her body luxuriously at the songs' end. There was a foreign tugging sensation in the pit of his stomach in response. This song was immediately replaced by another, that had a slower, almost hypnotic beat. A scream went up from the girls. This was, apparently, a very popular song.

Once again, Artemis failed to notice Isis until her arms were twined around his neck and her body was pressed to his. Over her head, he could see couples in similar posses, the girls with their heads on their partners shoulder, the guys with their arms wrapped possessively around their waists. He copied them and Isis smiled up at him. She said something, but her words were lost in the music. He cocked an eyebrow and she stood on tip-toe to speak into his ear.

"Having fun?" Her voice was soft and husky at the same time and her breath blew warm on his cheek. He fought the instinct to move his face closer and simply nodded.

"It is more fun than I thought it would be. Where did everyone learn to dance like this?" She threw back her head and laughed.

"For most of us, it's just natural with the beat. But there are so many people here, you can just move with the crowd and still be fine. That's how I learned." There were no more words, simply swaying and glances into each others eyes. These glances slowly became longer, until it became a look. Just a look. Their eyes locked and Artemis found his head titling down towards hers. A foreign feeling pulsed through his blood and he had the strangest sensation that he couldn't get close enough to the girl dancing with him. As he looked down at her, she dropped her gaze to his lips, then flicked back up to his face. Artemis might not have been the best at social situations, but he was not an idiot. He knew what that look meant, and he was more than happy to oblige. Still holding her gaze, he bent his head to hers, and as his lips got closer, her eyes flickered shut.

The Storm

His hand traveled up her back to the nape of her neck, tilting her head up to his and his other hand released her waist to travel up her body to her rest on her arm. He brushed his lips against hers and felt her press against him. Instantly, all thought was driven from his mind and he kissed her deeply. It was almost as though his mind shut off and instinct took over, because he would have never thought to slip his tongue in her mouth to dance with hers, would never have thought to make that sound deep in his throat or to pull her so close. She tasted so sweet, sweeter than he would have ever dreamed to be possible, and there was a hint of cinnamon in her kiss. Cinnamon - that was the most fitting flavor he could have chosen. Delicious, though not everyone could handle it in its' truest form. He felt her hands tangle in his ragged hair, pulling him closer. The hand on her arm drifted back down, past her waist to wrap around her hips. He nibbled her lower lip gently and she moaned into his mouth. Then, his mind did something it had never done before. It just . . . shut off.

The song had ended - in fact, many songs had ended - when he finally pulled back. She looked at him and smiled. _'His'_ smile, the sexy - because that's what it was - half smile that pulled up the side of her mouth and revealed her pointed canine. She ran her hands through his hair, smoothing it back down and finally spoke,

"Wow,"Artemis couldn't help but laugh. "Wow?" She nodded.

"Who the hell taught you to do that?" He thought he saw the same flicker of jealousy he'd seen back at the manor and he smiled. She thought there had been someone else. It was amazing how wrong she could be sometimes.

"It was just natural," He said, quoting her words from earlier in the night. She seemed to recognize this, as she laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. It amazed him how perfectly she fit there. They remained in that position even as other songs played through. Artemis leaned down and sang a line of the song in her ear. She tipped her head back and laughed long and loud. As she stood there laughing, she snorted and her hand flew to her mouth. He was enchanted. Usually snorting was something he despised, but she made it almost cute. _'Cute? What is going on? One attractive female kisses you, and your vocabulary goes out the window. You're in trouble boy, you're completely out of your league'_. Without realizing it, Artemis had started laughing with her, she just had that affect on him. He completely forgot himself when he was with her.

"Aren't you even offended that I was laughing at your singing?" Her voice was hoarse in his ear and her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. He shrugged.

"Well, I've been told I should be more humble."

"Oh. So this is a test then?" He pulled her closer to his body. "Exactly."

"You know, you actually have a nice voice for a guy."

Artemis decided that this was what being addicted to drugs must be like. He simply couldn't get enough. And it seemed that she felt the same.

This Is What It's Like

At the end of the final song, she yawned, massively, her jaw-cracking. He laughed, something he seemed to be doing more and more lately. He bent down to whisper in her ear,

"Let's go home before I have to carry you," She snorted and slapped his arm.  
"Like you couldn't," He couldn't resist playing with her. "Well, you're not that light," He grinned at the stunned expression on her face, until she smacked his arm. I'm joking, I'm joking." She scowled at him. "You better be. If you ever call me fat again, you can just kiss-" Which is precisely what Artemis proceeded to do.

The plane ride home was quiet. The only sound was the gentle breathing of the girl curled up, fast asleep, on his lap. _'So. This is what it's like.'_ He mused to himself. The statistics said that couples like his mother and father were rare. He never dreamed it could happen to him. But apparently, the statistics were wrong. And, strangely, Artemis didn't mind. _'This is what it's like._'

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So, hoped you liked it. Anyway, I wrote this because I got sick of fics where Artemis was always calm and cool and perfectly controlled. So, I decided to take him as far out of his element as I could. American high-school teenagers seemed to fit the bill perfectly. R&R. All flames will be cuddled and shown to friends, before being cerimoniously burned.

3 Viva


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